Marsalis is a preeminent musician, composer, bandleader, educator and a leading advocate of American culture. Through his prolific and influential range of music, he has expanded the vocabulary of jazz and created a vital body of work that places him among the world’s finest musicians and composers. In addition to his Grammy awards, Marsalis was also awarded a Pulitzer Prize for music and a National Medal of Arts, which is the highest award given to artists by the United States government.

The son of celebrated jazz patriarch and Loyola alumnus Ellis Marsalis, M.M.E. ’86, H '07, Marsalis is the world’s first jazz artist to perform and compose across the full jazz spectrum, from its New Orleans roots to bebop to modern jazz. In 1987, he co-founded and became artistic director for Jazz at Lincoln Center and music director for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Under his leadership, the center has developed an international agenda, presenting rich and diverse programming that includes concerts, debates, film forums, dances, television and radio broadcasts and educational activities.

Loyola is celebrating its centennial throughout the 2012-13 academic year with a host of centennial-based activities and special guest speakers. The Presidential Centennial Guest Series was developed by Loyola President Kevin Wm. Wildes, S.J., Ph.D., and well-known political power couple and New Orleans residents, Mary Matalin and James Carville. The series will provide an array of cultural, artistic, Catholic and intellectual perspectives. Each will supplement Loyola’s mission of providing outstanding holistic Jesuit education and serving the New Orleans community.

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